1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus capable of receiving color and monochrome images.
2. Related Background Art
With the heightened functionality of an image recorder, an image display device or the like in recent years, a color copying machine, a color printer, and so on, have gained more in popularity. For the image communication apparatus, color facsimile devices have been developed.
As regards a color facsimile communication system, standardization has been pursued with ITU-T Recommendations and, currently, T30, T4, T42 and T81 are in practice.
As regards a color recording system, there has been known an ink jet system or the like, which enables a user to select one from a black and other color ink cartridge as an ink cartridge to be loaded.
In the conventional color facsimile device, however, memory alternative reception was set when no color ink cartridges were present or when color reception was carried out. This situation made it impossible to record received images indefinitely, leaving color reception documents on a memory. Therefore, a limitation was placed on a usable memory and, in the reception/transmission process thereafter, a processing speed was adversely affected because of such a memory limitation. In addition, a large-capacity memory was needed to secure a sufficient usable memory, resulting in cost increases.
On the other hand, because of a high price of a color cartridge, in the facsimile machine, color reception or recording was carried out if not desired.